A father cleared of allowing his six-year-old daughter to undergo female genital mutilation has said the failed prosecution put intolerable pressure on him and his family.
The man described the evidence against him as unsatisfactory and claimed the police and Crown Prosecution Service had important lessons to learn.
A judge at Bristol crown court halted the trial of the 29-year-old when he ruled that he had no case to answer.
On Friday the father’s legal team, Elite Solicitors in Bristol, released a statement on his behalf expressing relief and anger.
It said: “Female genital mutilation (FGM) is rightly illegal in the UK. Our client consistently denied the allegation that he exposed his daughter to any form of FGM.